You can say what you will about Windows Phone and Windows 8's Metro interface (I refuse to drop that name) - it's inefficient, unpopular, cumbersome, beautiful, ugly, organised, clean, limiting - but there's one thing we can all agree on: it's unique and distinctive. CNet has published a profile of Microsoft's Albert Shum, the man behind Metro, and he highlights what I think is at the very core of Microsoft's problems in mobile right now.

Irresepective of your answer, the point is that you have observed an extremely small sample set of the people using the product, and it therefore doesn't matter.

The subjective experience of millions is what is condemning the Windows mobile platform

People are definitely not buying Windows phones. That's true enough. But that fact alone doesn't support any of your assertions.

There's no evidence to suggest that the handful of people that actually do buy MS phones don't like them.

It is my personal opinion (based on my own equally limited viewpoint) that people simply are not aware of Microsoft's offering. The people I know simply buy another iPhone or Android, and are surprised when they see the phone I'm using.

I regularly have to explain the difference between an S3, and my AtivS.

I've seen a few MS ads for the Surface, and one or two for the Lumia, but I think MS just needs to spend a bit of cash on advertising.